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Siegel P, Peterson BS. Advancing the treatment of anxiety disorders in transition-age youth: a review of the therapeutic effects of unconscious exposure. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024. [PMID: 39128857 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.14037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The real-world effectiveness of exposure-based therapies for youth depends on the willingness and ability of young people to tolerate confronting their fears, which can be experienced as highly aversive and create problems with treatment engagement and acceptance. Recently, neuroscientific research on the nonconscious basis of fear has been translated into novel exposure interventions that bypass conscious processing of feared stimuli and that thus do not cause phobic youth to experience distress. We present a review of these unconscious exposure interventions. METHODS A PRISMA-based search yielded 20 controlled experiments based on three paradigms that tested if fear-related responses could be reduced without conscious awareness in highly phobic, transition-age youth: 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 5 fMRI studies (1 was also an RCT), 4 psychophysiological studies (3 were also RCTs), and 1 ERP study. We conducted meta-analyses of outcomes where feasible. RESULTS Unconscious exposure interventions significantly (1) reduced avoidance behavior (range of Cohen's d = 0.51-0.95) and self-reported fear (d = 0.45-1.25) during in vivo exposure to the feared situation; (2) reduced neurobiological indicators of fear (d = 0.54-0.62) and concomitant physiological arousal (d = 0.55-0.64); (3) activated neural systems supporting fear regulation more strongly than visible exposure to the same stimuli (d = 1.2-1.5); (4) activated regions supporting fear regulation that mediated the reduction of avoidance behavior (d = 0.70); (5) evoked ERPs suggesting encoding of extinction memories (d = 2.13); and (6) had these effects without inducing autonomic arousal or subjective fear. CONCLUSIONS Unconscious exposure interventions significantly reduce a variety of symptomatic behaviors with mostly moderate effect sizes in transition-age youth with specific phobias. fMRI and physiological findings establish a neurophysiological basis for this efficacy, and suggest it occurs through extinction learning. Unconscious exposure was well tolerated, entirely unassociated with drop out, and is highly scalable for clinical practice. However, a number of limitations must be addressed to assess potential clinical impacts, including combining unconscious exposure with exposure therapy to boost treatment acceptance and efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Siegel
- Department of Psychology, Purchase College, State University of New York, Purchase, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Bradley S Peterson
- Department of Psychiatry, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Institute for the Developing Mind, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Li M, Yang XK, Yang J, Li TX, Cui C, Peng X, Lei J, Ren K, Ming J, Zhang P, Tian B. Ketamine ameliorates post-traumatic social avoidance by erasing the traumatic memory encoded in VTA-innervated BLA engram cells. Neuron 2024:S0896-6273(24)00461-6. [PMID: 39032491 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Erasing traumatic memory during memory reconsolidation is a promising retrieval-extinction strategy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Here, we developed an acute social defeat stress (SDS) mouse model with short-term and re-exposure-evoked long-term social avoidance. SDS-associated traumatic memories were identified to be stored in basolateral amygdala (BLA) engram cells. A single intraperitoneal administration of subanesthetic-dose ketamine within, but not beyond, the re-exposure time window significantly alleviates SDS-induced social avoidance, which reduces the activity and quantity of reactivated BLA engram cells. Furthermore, activation or inhibition of dopaminergic projections from the ventral tegmental area to the BLA effectively mimics or blocks the therapeutic effect of re-exposure with ketamine and is dopamine D2 receptor dependent. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals that re-exposure with ketamine triggered significant changes in memory-related pathways in the BLA. Together, our research advances the understanding of how ketamine mitigates PTSD symptoms and offers promising avenues for developing more effective treatments for trauma-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Li
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China
| | - Xue-Ke Yang
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China
| | - Jian Yang
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China
| | - Tong-Xia Li
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China
| | - Chi Cui
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China
| | - Xiang Peng
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China
| | - Jie Lei
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China
| | - Kun Ren
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China
| | - Jie Ming
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, P.R. China
| | - Pei Zhang
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China; Institute for Brain Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China; Key Laboratory of Neurological Diseases, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China.
| | - Bo Tian
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China; School of Medicine, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, P.R. China; Institute for Brain Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China; Key Laboratory of Neurological Diseases, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China.
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Joo B, Xu S, Park H, Kim K, Rah JC, Koo JW. Parietal-Frontal Pathway Controls Relapse of Fear Memory in a Novel Context. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:100315. [PMID: 38726036 PMCID: PMC11078648 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Fear responses significantly affect daily life and shape our approach to uncertainty. However, the potential resurgence of fear in unfamiliar situations poses a significant challenge to exposure-based therapies for maladaptive fear responses. Nonetheless, how novel contextual stimuli are associated with the relapse of extinguished fear remains unknown. Methods Using a context-dependent fear renewal model, the functional circuits and underlying mechanisms of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were investigated using optogenetic, histological, in vivo, and ex vivo electrophysiological and pharmacological techniques. Results We demonstrated that the PPC-to-ACC pathway governs fear relapse in a novel context. We observed enhanced populational calcium activity in the ACC neurons that received projections from the PPC and increased synaptic activity in the basolateral amygdala-projecting PPC-to-ACC neurons upon renewal in a novel context, where excitatory postsynaptic currents amplitudes increased but inhibitory postsynaptic current amplitudes decreased. In addition, we found that parvalbumin-expressing interneurons controlled novel context-dependent fear renewal, which was blocked by the chronic administration of fluoxetine. Conclusions Our findings highlight the PPC-to-ACC pathway in mediating the relapse of extinguished fear in novel contexts, thereby contributing significant insights into the intricate neural mechanisms that govern fear renewal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bitna Joo
- Emotion, Cognition and Behavior Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Shijie Xu
- Medical Research Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Hyungju Park
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Neurovascular Unit Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Kipom Kim
- Research Strategy Office, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Cheol Rah
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Sensory & Motor Systems Neuroscience Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Ja Wook Koo
- Emotion, Cognition and Behavior Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, Republic of Korea
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4
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Kampa M, Stark R, Klucken T. The impact of past childhood adversity and recent life events on neural responses during fear conditioning. J Neuroimaging 2024; 34:217-223. [PMID: 38009652 DOI: 10.1111/jon.13174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Many studies have shown that exposure to life events can have a negative impact on mental health. Life events like the death of a spouse or the birth of a child pose a challenge and require temporal or permanent adjustments. Meta-analyses on brain stress responses found bilateral anterior insula activation in response to acute stress. Fear conditioning is assumed a crucial mechanism for the development of anxiety disorders associated with increased activation in the bilateral amygdala. Empirical evidence is lacking regarding the relationship of exposure to recent life events and past childhood adversity with neural processing during fear conditioning. METHODS In the present study, we analyzed data from 103 young, healthy participants. Multiple linear regressions were performed on functional magnetic resonance imaging activation during fear conditioning with the Life Events Scale for Students and the Childhood Trauma questionnaire included as covariates in two separate models. RESULTS We found a positive relationship between the number of life events in the last year and left amygdala activation to the conditioned stimulus. A second finding was a positive relationship between childhood adversity and right anterior insula response to the unconditioned stimulus. CONCLUSIONS Many studies have shown increased amygdala activity after stressful life events. In addition, the anterior insula is activated during acute stress. The present study points to stressor-induced increased salience processing during fear conditioning. We suggest that this could be a potential mechanism for resilience versus mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Kampa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Tim Klucken
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
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Battaglia S, Di Fazio C, Mazzà M, Tamietto M, Avenanti A. Targeting Human Glucocorticoid Receptors in Fear Learning: A Multiscale Integrated Approach to Study Functional Connectivity. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:864. [PMID: 38255937 PMCID: PMC10815285 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Fear extinction is a phenomenon that involves a gradual reduction in conditioned fear responses through repeated exposure to fear-inducing cues. Functional brain connectivity assessments, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), provide valuable insights into how brain regions communicate during these processes. Stress, a ubiquitous aspect of life, influences fear learning and extinction by changing the activity of the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus, leading to enhanced fear responses and/or impaired extinction. Glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) are key to the stress response and show a dual function in fear regulation: while they enhance the consolidation of fear memories, they also facilitate extinction. Accordingly, GR dysregulation is associated with anxiety and mood disorders. Recent advancements in cognitive neuroscience underscore the need for a comprehensive understanding that integrates perspectives from the molecular, cellular, and systems levels. In particular, neuropharmacology provides valuable insights into neurotransmitter and receptor systems, aiding the investigation of mechanisms underlying fear regulation and potential therapeutic targets. A notable player in this context is cortisol, a key stress hormone, which significantly influences both fear memory reconsolidation and extinction processes. Gaining a thorough understanding of these intricate interactions has implications in terms of addressing psychiatric disorders related to stress. This review sheds light on the complex interactions between cognitive processes, emotions, and their neural bases. In this endeavor, our aim is to reshape the comprehension of fear, stress, and their implications for emotional well-being, ultimately aiding in the development of therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Battaglia
- Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Cesena Campus, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy
| | - Chiara Di Fazio
- Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Cesena Campus, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy
| | - Matteo Mazzà
- Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Cesena Campus, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Marco Tamietto
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Cesena Campus, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
- Neuropsicology and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center (CINPSI Neurocog), Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca 3460000, Chile
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Nostadt A, Nitsche MA, Tegenthoff M, Lissek S. Dopaminergic D2-like receptor stimulation affects attention on contextual information and modulates BOLD activation of extinction-related brain areas. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21003. [PMID: 38017050 PMCID: PMC10684513 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47704-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Contextual information is essential for learning and memory processes and plays a crucial role during the recall of extinction memory, and in the renewal effect, which is the context-dependent recovery of an extinguished response. The dopaminergic system is known to be involved in regulating attentional processes by shifting attention to novel and salient contextual cues. Higher dopamine levels are associated with a better recall of previously learned stimulus-outcome associations and enhanced encoding, as well as retrieval of contextual information which promotes renewal. In this fMRI study, we aimed to investigate the impact of processing contextual information and the influence of dopaminergic D2-like receptor activation on attention to contextual information during a predictive learning task as well as upon extinction learning, memory performance, and activity of extinction-related brain areas. A single oral dose of 1.25 mg bromocriptine or an identical-looking placebo was administered to the participants. We modified a predictive learning task that in previous studies reliably evoked a renewal effect, by increasing the complexity of contextual information. We analysed fixations and dwell on contextual cues by use of eye-tracking and correlated these with behavioural performance and BOLD activation of extinction-related brain areas. Our results indicate that the group with dopaminergic D2-like receptor stimulation had higher attention to task-relevant contextual information and greater/lower BOLD activation of brain regions associated with cognitive control during extinction learning and recall. Moreover, renewal responses were almost completely absent. Since this behavioural effect was observed for both treatment groups, we assume that this was due to the complexity of the altered task design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Nostadt
- Ruhr-University Bochum, Faculty of Psychology, 44789, Bochum, Germany.
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Ardeystr. 67, 44139, Dortmund, Germany.
- Department of Neurology, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bürkle de La Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Michael A Nitsche
- Ruhr-University Bochum, Faculty of Psychology, 44789, Bochum, Germany
- German Centre for Mental Health (DZPG), 44789, Bochum, Germany
- University Hospital OWL, Protestant Hospital of Bethel Foundation, University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and University Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bielefeld University, 33617, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Martin Tegenthoff
- Department of Neurology, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bürkle de La Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany
| | - Silke Lissek
- Department of Neurology, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bürkle de La Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany
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7
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Traina G, Tuszynski JA. The Neurotransmission Basis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders by the Fear Conditioning Paradigm. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16327. [PMID: 38003517 PMCID: PMC10671801 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear conditioning constitutes the best and most reproducible paradigm to study the neurobiological mechanisms underlying emotions. On the other hand, studies on the synaptic plasticity phenomena underlying fear conditioning present neural circuits enforcing this learning pattern related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Notably, in both humans and the rodent model, fear conditioning and context rely on dependent neurocircuitry in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, cingulate gyrus, and hippocampus. In this review, an overview of the role that classical neurotransmitters play in the contextual conditioning model of fear, and therefore in PTSD, was reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Traina
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via Romana, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Jack A. Tuszynski
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca Degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy;
- Department of Data Science and Engineering, The Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, 11335 Saskatchewan Dr NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M9, Canada
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8
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Nostadt A, Merz CJ, Wolf OT, Tegenthoff M, Lissek S. Cortisol decreases activation in extinction related brain areas resulting in an impaired recall of context-dependent extinction memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 205:107844. [PMID: 37866754 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Conditioned responding gradually stops during successful extinction learning. The renewal effect is defined as the recovery of a extinguished conditioned response when the context of extinction is different from acquisition. The stress hormone cortisol is known to have an influence on extinction memory and associative learning. Different effects of cortisol on behaviour and brain activity have been observed with respect to stress timing, duration, and intensity. However, the influence of cortisol prior to the initial encoding of stimulus-outcome associations on extinction learning, renewal and its behavioural and neurobiological correlates is still largely unknown. In our study, 60 human participants received 20 mg cortisol or placebo and then learned, extinguished, and recalled the associations between food stimuli presented in distinct contexts and different outcomes in three subsequent task phases. Learning performance during acquisition and extinction phases was equally good for both treatment groups. In the cortisol group, significantly more participants showed renewal compared to placebo. In the subgroup of participants with renewal, cortisol treated participants showed significantly better extinction learning performance compared to placebo. Participants showing renewal had in general difficulties with recalling extinction memory, but in contrast to placebo, the cortisol group exhibited a context-dependent impairment of extinction memory recall. Imaging analyses revealed that cortisol decreased activation in the hippocampus during acquisition. The cortisol group also showed reduced dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation when extinction learning took place in a different context, but enhanced activation in inferior frontal gyrus during extinction learning without context change. During recall, cortisol decreased ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation. Taken together, our findings illustrate cortisol as a potent modulator of extinction learning and recall of extinction memory which also promotes renewal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Nostadt
- BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Department of Neurology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
| | - Christian J Merz
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
| | - Martin Tegenthoff
- BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Department of Neurology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
| | - Silke Lissek
- BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Department of Neurology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
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Karst H, Joëls M. Corticosterone rapidly reduces glutamatergic but not GABAergic transmission in the infralimbic prefrontal cortex of male mice. Steroids 2023; 198:109283. [PMID: 37487816 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2023.109283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Rapid non-genomic effects of corticosteroid hormones, affecting glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission, have been described for many limbic structures in the rodent brain. These rapid effects appear to be region specific. It is not always clear which (or even whether) corticosteroid receptor -the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) or mineralocorticoid receptor (MR)- initiate these rapid effects. In the hippocampus and amygdala membrane-associated MR, but also membrane-associated GR (in amygdala), are involved. Other studies indicate that the rapid modulation may be induced by transactivation of kinases, or other receptors, like the G-protein coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) which was recently found to bind the mineralocorticoid aldosterone. In the current study we explored, in young adult male C57Bl6 mice, possible rapid effects of corticosterone on layer 2/3 infralimbic-prefrontal cortex (IL-PFC) neurons. We show that corticosterone, via non-genomic MR activation, reduces the mEPSC -but does not affect mIPSC- frequency; we observed no effect on mEPSC or mIPSC amplitude. As a result, overall spontaneous activity in the IL-PFC is suppressed. A potential role of GPER cannot be excluded, since G-15, an antagonist of GPER, also prevented the rapid effects of corticosterone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henk Karst
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, SILS-CNS, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Marian Joëls
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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10
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Mamat Z, Anderson MC. Improving mental health by training the suppression of unwanted thoughts. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh5292. [PMID: 37729415 PMCID: PMC10511195 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh5292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and depression markedly increased worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. People with these conditions experience distressing intrusive thoughts, yet conventional therapies often urge them to avoid suppressing their thoughts because intrusions might rebound in intensity and frequency, worsening the disorders. In contrast, we hypothesized that training thought suppression would improve mental health. One hundred and twenty adults from 16 countries underwent 3 days of online training to suppress either fearful or neutral thoughts. No paradoxical increases in fears occurred. Instead, suppression reduced memory for suppressed fears and rendered them less vivid and anxiety provoking. After training, participants reported less anxiety, negative affect, and depression with the latter benefit persisting at 3 months. Participants high in trait anxiety and pandemic-related posttraumatic stress gained the largest and most durable mental health benefits. These findings challenge century-old wisdom that suppressing thoughts is maladaptive, offering an accessible approach to improving mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zulkayda Mamat
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michael C. Anderson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neurosciences Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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11
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Li Y, Zhi W, Qi B, Wang L, Hu X. Update on neurobiological mechanisms of fear: illuminating the direction of mechanism exploration and treatment development of trauma and fear-related disorders. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1216524. [PMID: 37600761 PMCID: PMC10433239 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1216524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear refers to an adaptive response in the face of danger, and the formed fear memory acts as a warning when the individual faces a dangerous situation again, which is of great significance to the survival of humans and animals. Excessive fear response caused by abnormal fear memory can lead to neuropsychiatric disorders. Fear memory has been studied for a long time, which is of a certain guiding effect on the treatment of fear-related disorders. With continuous technological innovations, the study of fear has gradually shifted from the level of brain regions to deeper neural (micro) circuits between brain regions and even within single brain regions, as well as molecular mechanisms. This article briefly outlines the basic knowledge of fear memory and reviews the neurobiological mechanisms of fear extinction and relapse, which aims to provide new insights for future basic research on fear emotions and new ideas for treating trauma and fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Weijia Zhi
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Qi
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Lifeng Wang
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangjun Hu
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
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Xiang G, Liu X, Wang J, Lu S, Yu M, Zhang Y, Sun B, Huang B, Lu XY, Li X, Zhang D. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α activation facilitates contextual fear extinction and modulates intrinsic excitability of dentate gyrus neurons. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:206. [PMID: 37322045 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02496-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus encodes contextual information associated with fear, and cell activity in the DG is required for acquisition and extinction of contextual fear. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. Here we show that mice deficient for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) exhibited a slower rate of contextual fear extinction. Furthermore, selective deletion of PPARα in the DG attenuated, while activation of PPARα in the DG by local infusion of aspirin facilitated extinction of contextual fear. The intrinsic excitability of DG granule neurons was reduced by PPARα deficiency but increased by activation of PPARα with aspirin. Using RNA-Seq transcriptome we found that the transcription level of neuropeptide S receptor 1 (Npsr1) was tightly correlated with PPARα activation. Our results provide evidence that PPARα plays an important role in regulating DG neuronal excitability and contextual fear extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo Xiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Xia Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Jiangong Wang
- Institute of Metabolic and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, 256600, China
| | - Shunshun Lu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Meng Yu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Yuhan Zhang
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Bin Sun
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Bin Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Xin-Yun Lu
- Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Xingang Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Di Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250012, China.
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13
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Kampa M, Hermann A, Stark R, Klucken T. Neural correlates of immediate versus delayed extinction when simultaneously varying the time of the test in humans. Cereb Cortex 2023:bhad205. [PMID: 37317067 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are effectively treated with exposure therapy based on the extinction of Pavlovian fear conditioning. Animal research indicates that both the timing of extinction and test are important factors to reduce the return of fear. However, empirical evidence in humans is incomplete and inconsistent. In this neuroimaging study, we, therefore, tested 103 young, healthy participants in a 2-factorial between-subjects design with the factors extinction group (immediate, delayed) and test group (+1 day and +7 days). Immediate extinction led to greater retention of fear memory at the beginning of extinction training indicated by increased skin conductance responses. A return of fear was observed in both extinction groups, with a trend toward a greater return of fear in immediate extinction. The return of fear was generally higher in groups with an early test. Neuroimaging results show successful cross-group fear acquisition and retention, as well as activation of the left nucleus accumbens during extinction training. Importantly, the delayed extinction group showed a larger bilateral nucleus accumbens activation during test. This nucleus accumbens finding is discussed in terms of salience, contingency, relief, and prediction error processing. It may imply that the delayed extinction group benefits more from the test as a new learning opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Kampa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Siegen 57072, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
| | - Andrea Hermann
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
| | - Tim Klucken
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Siegen 57072, Germany
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14
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Brown VM, Price R, Dombrovski AY. Anxiety as a disorder of uncertainty: implications for understanding maladaptive anxiety, anxious avoidance, and exposure therapy. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:844-868. [PMID: 36869259 PMCID: PMC10475148 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01080-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
In cognitive-behavioral conceptualizations of anxiety, exaggerated threat expectancies underlie maladaptive anxiety. This view has led to successful treatments, notably exposure therapy, but is not consistent with the empirical literature on learning and choice alterations in anxiety. Empirically, anxiety is better described as a disorder of uncertainty learning. How disruptions in uncertainty lead to impairing avoidance and are treated with exposure-based methods, however, is unclear. Here, we integrate concepts from neurocomputational learning models with clinical literature on exposure therapy to propose a new framework for understanding maladaptive uncertainty functioning in anxiety. Specifically, we propose that anxiety disorders are fundamentally disorders of uncertainty learning and that successful treatments, particularly exposure therapy, work by remediating maladaptive avoidance from dysfunctional explore/exploit decisions in uncertain, potentially aversive situations. This framework reconciles several inconsistencies in the literature and provides a path forward to better understand and treat anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa M Brown
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Rebecca Price
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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15
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Conte C, Baldi E, Bucherelli C, di Vito R, Petri D, Traina G. Modulation of synapse-related gene expression in the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex of rats subjected to the contextual fear conditioning paradigm. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023:107776. [PMID: 37236300 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The contextual fear conditioning (CFC) paradigm is the most productive approach for understanding the neurobiology of learning and memory as it allows to follow the evolution of memory traces of a conditioned stimulus and a specific context. The formation of long-term memory involves alterations in synaptic efficacy and neural transmission. It is known that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) exerts top-down control over subcortical structures to regulate behavioural responses. Moreover, cerebellar structures are involved in storing conditioned responses. The purpose of this research was to determine if the response to conditioning and stressful challenge is associated with alterations in synapse-related genes mRNA levels in the PFC, cerebellar vermis (V), and hemispheres (H) of young adult male rats. Four groups of Wistar rats were examined: naïve, CFC, shock only (SO), and exploration (EXPL). The behavioural response was evaluated by measuring the total freezing duration. Real-Time PCR was employed to quantify mRNA levels of some genes involved in synaptic plasticity. The results obtained from this study showed alterations in gene expression in different synapse-related genes after exposure to stressful stimuli and positioning to new environment. In conclusion, conditioning behavioural stimuli change the expression profile of molecules involved in neural transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmela Conte
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Romana, 06126, Perugia, Italy.
| | - Elisabetta Baldi
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università di Firenze, Viale G.B. Morgagni, 63, 50134, Firenze, Italy.
| | - Corrado Bucherelli
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università di Firenze, Viale G.B. Morgagni, 63, 50134, Firenze, Italy.
| | - Raffaella di Vito
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Romana, 06126, Perugia, Italy.
| | - Davide Petri
- Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, via San Zeno 37, 56123 Pisa, Italy.
| | - Giovanna Traina
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Romana, 06126, Perugia, Italy.
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16
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Babb JA, Zuberer A, Heinrichs S, Rumbika KK, Alfiler L, Lakis GA, Leite-Morris KA, Kaplan GB. Disturbances in fear extinction learning after mild traumatic brain injury in mice are accompanied by alterations in dendritic plasticity in the medial prefrontal cortex and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala. Brain Res Bull 2023; 198:15-26. [PMID: 37031792 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023]
Abstract
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have emerged as the signature injuries of the U.S. veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and frequently co-occur in both military and civilian and populations. To better understand how fear learning and underlying neural systems might be altered after mTBI we examined the acquisition of cued fear conditioning and its extinction along with brain morphology and dendritic plasticity in a mouse model of mTBI. To induce mTBI in adult male C57BL/6J mice, a lateral fluid percussive injury (LFP 1.7) was produced using a fluid pulse of 1.7 atmosphere force to the right parietal lobe. Behavior in LFP 1.7 mice was compared to behavior in mice from two separate control groups: mice subjected to craniotomy without LFP injury (Sham) and mice that did not undergo surgery (Unoperated). Following behavioral testing, neural endpoints (dendritic structural plasticity and neuronal volume) were assessed in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA), which plays a critical sensory role in fear learning, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), responsible for executive functions and inhibition of fear behaviors. No gross motor abnormalities or increased anxiety-like behaviors were observed in LFP or Sham mice after surgery compared to Unoperated mice. We found that all mice acquired fear behavior, assessed as conditioned freezing to auditory cue in a single session of 6 trials, and acquisition was similar across treatment groups. Using a linear mixed effects analysis, we showed that fear behavior decreased overall over 6 days of extinction training with no effect of treatment group across extinction days. However, a significant interaction was demonstrated between the treatment groups during within-session freezing behavior (5 trials per day) during extinction training. Specifically, freezing behavior increased across within-session extinction trials in LFP 1.7 mice, whereas freezing behavior in control groups did not change on extinction test days, reflecting a dissociation between within-trial and between-trial fear extinction. Additionally, LFP mice demonstrated bilateral increases in dendritic spine density in the BLA and decreases in dendritic complexity in the PFC. The translational implications are that individuals with TBI undergoing fear extinction therapy may demonstrate within-session aberrant learning that could be targeted for more effective treatment interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Babb
- Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, MA, 02132 USA; Mental Health Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, MA, 02132 USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115 USA.
| | - Agnieszka Zuberer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, 07743 Jena, Germany.
| | - Stephen Heinrichs
- Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, MA, 02132 USA.
| | - Kendra K Rumbika
- Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, MA, 02132 USA.
| | - Lauren Alfiler
- Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, MA, 02132 USA.
| | - Gabrielle A Lakis
- Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, MA, 02132 USA; Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02218 USA.
| | - Kimberly A Leite-Morris
- Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, MA, 02132 USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118 USA.
| | - Gary B Kaplan
- Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, MA, 02132 USA; Mental Health Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, MA, 02132 USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118 USA; Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118 USA.
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17
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The times they are a-changin': a proposal on how brain flexibility goes beyond the obvious to include the concepts of "upward" and "downward" to neuroplasticity. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:977-992. [PMID: 36575306 PMCID: PMC10005965 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01931-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Since the brain was found to be somehow flexible, plastic, researchers worldwide have been trying to comprehend its fundamentals to better understand the brain itself, make predictions, disentangle the neurobiology of brain diseases, and finally propose up-to-date treatments. Neuroplasticity is simple as a concept, but extremely complex when it comes to its mechanisms. This review aims to bring to light an aspect about neuroplasticity that is often not given enough attention as it should, the fact that the brain's ability to change would include its ability to disconnect synapses. So, neuronal shrinkage, decrease in spine density or dendritic complexity should be included within the concept of neuroplasticity as part of its mechanisms, not as an impairment of it. To that end, we extensively describe a variety of studies involving topics such as neurodevelopment, aging, stress, memory and homeostatic plasticity to highlight how the weakening and disconnection of synapses organically permeate the brain in so many ways as a good practice of its intrinsic physiology. Therefore, we propose to break down neuroplasticity into two sub-concepts, "upward neuroplasticity" for changes related to synaptic construction and "downward neuroplasticity" for changes related to synaptic deconstruction. With these sub-concepts, neuroplasticity could be better understood from a bigger landscape as a vector in which both directions could be taken for the brain to flexibly adapt to certain demands. Such a paradigm shift would allow a better understanding of the concept of neuroplasticity to avoid any data interpretation bias, once it makes clear that there is no morality with regard to the organic and physiological changes that involve dynamic biological systems as seen in the brain.
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18
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Extracellular zinc regulates contextual fear memory formation in male rats through MMP-BDNF-TrkB pathway in dorsal hippocampus and basolateral amygdala. Behav Brain Res 2023; 439:114230. [PMID: 36442645 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Large amount of zinc (100 µM even up to 300 µM) is released from the nerve terminals in response to high frequency neuronal stimulation in certain brain regions including hippocampus and amygdala. However, its precise pharmacological effect is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of extracellular zinc (endogenous zinc) and exogenous zinc in memory formation using contextual fear conditioning (CFC) model. Male Sprague Dawley rats were trained for fear conditioning followed by in vivo microdialysis for collection of microdialysate samples from CA1 and CA3 regions of hippocampus and basolateral amygdala (BLA). Extracellular zinc chelator CaEDTA, BDNF scavenger TrkB-Fc, exogenous 7,8-DHF and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) inhibitor were infused into the CA1 and CA3 regions of hippocampus and BLA after CFC. Different doses of exogenous zinc hydroaspartate were administered intraperitoneally immediately after CFC. We found that CFC increased the level of extracellular zinc in the hippocampus and BLA. Infusing the CaEDTA, TrkB-Fc and MMP inhibitor into the CA1 and CA3 regions of hippocampus and BLA disrupted the fear memory formation. Furthermore, administration of TrKB agonist 7,8-DHF reversed the inhibitory effect of CaEDTA on fear memory formation, suggesting that extracellular zinc may regulate fear memory formation via the BDNF-TrKB pathway. We also found that high dose of exogenous zinc hydroaspartate supplementation increased extracellular zinc levels in brain and enhanced fear memory formation. Altogether, these findings indicate that extracellular zinc may participate in formation of contextual fear memory through MMP-BDNF-TrkB pathway in the hippocampus and BLA.
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19
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Wisłowska-Stanek A, Lehner M, Tomczuk F, Gawryluk A, Kołosowska K, Sułek A, Krząśnik P, Sobolewska A, Wawer A, Płaźnik A, Skórzewska A. The effects of the recurrent social isolation stress on fear extinction and dopamine D 2 receptors in the amygdala and the hippocampus. Pharmacol Rep 2023; 75:119-127. [PMID: 36385611 PMCID: PMC9889440 DOI: 10.1007/s43440-022-00430-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study assessed the influence of recurrent social isolation stress on the aversive memory extinction and dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) expression in the amygdala and the hippocampus subnuclei. We also analyzed the expression of epigenetic factors potentially associated with fear extinction: miRNA-128 and miRNA-142 in the amygdala. METHODS Male adult fear-conditioned rats had three episodes of 48 h social isolation stress before each fear extinction session in weeks intervals. Ninety minutes after the last extinction session, the D2R expression in the nuclei of the amygdala and the hippocampus (immunocytochemical technique), and mRNA levels for D2R in the amygdala were assessed (PCR). Moreover, we evaluated the levels of miRNA-128 and miRNA-142 in the amygdala. RESULTS It was found that recurrent social isolation stress decreased the fear extinction rate. The extinguished isolated rats were characterized by higher expression of D2R in the CA1 area of the hippocampus compared to the extinguished and the control rats. In turn, the isolated group presented higher D2R immunoreactivity in the CA1 area compared to the extinguished, the control, and the extinguished isolated animals. Moreover, the extinguished animals had higher expression of D2R in the central amygdala than the control and the extinguished isolated rats. These changes were accompanied by the increase in miRNA-128 level in the amygdala in the extinguished isolated rats compared to the control, the extinguished, and the isolated rats. Moreover, the extinguished rats had lower expression of miRNA-128 compared to the control and the isolated animals. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that social isolation stress impairs aversive memory extinction and coexists with changes in the D2R expression in the amygdala and hippocampus and increased expression of miRNA-128 in the amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Wisłowska-Stanek
- grid.13339.3b0000000113287408Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology (CEPT), Medical University of Warsaw, 1B Banacha Street, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Lehner
- grid.418955.40000 0001 2237 2890Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Filip Tomczuk
- grid.418955.40000 0001 2237 2890Department of Genetics, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Gawryluk
- grid.419305.a0000 0001 1943 2944Laboratory of Neuroplasticity, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Karolina Kołosowska
- grid.418955.40000 0001 2237 2890Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Sułek
- grid.418955.40000 0001 2237 2890Department of Genetics, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Paweł Krząśnik
- grid.13339.3b0000000113287408Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology (CEPT), Medical University of Warsaw, 1B Banacha Street, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Alicja Sobolewska
- grid.418955.40000 0001 2237 2890Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Adriana Wawer
- grid.13339.3b0000000113287408Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology (CEPT), Medical University of Warsaw, 1B Banacha Street, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Adam Płaźnik
- grid.418955.40000 0001 2237 2890Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Skórzewska
- grid.418955.40000 0001 2237 2890Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
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20
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Pace-Schott EF, Seo J, Bottary R. The influence of sleep on fear extinction in trauma-related disorders. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 22:100500. [PMID: 36545012 PMCID: PMC9761387 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), fear and anxiety become dysregulated following psychologically traumatic events. Regulation of fear and anxiety involves both high-level cognitive processes such as cognitive reattribution and low-level, partially automatic memory processes such as fear extinction, safety learning and habituation. These latter processes are believed to be deficient in PTSD. While insomnia and nightmares are characteristic symptoms of existing PTSD, abundant recent evidence suggests that sleep disruption prior to and acute sleep disturbance following traumatic events both can predispose an individual to develop PTSD. Sleep promotes consolidation in multiple memory systems and is believed to also do so for low-level emotion-regulatory memory processes. Consequently sleep disruption may contribute to the etiology of PTSD by interfering with consolidation in low-level emotion-regulatory memory systems. During the first weeks following a traumatic event, when in the course of everyday life resilient individuals begin to acquire and consolidate these low-level emotion-regulatory memories, those who will develop PTSD symptoms may fail to do so. This deficit may, in part, result from alterations of sleep that interfere with their consolidation, such as REM fragmentation, that have also been found to presage later PTSD symptoms. Here, sleep disruption in PTSD as well as fear extinction, safety learning and habituation and their known alterations in PTSD are first briefly reviewed. Then neural processes that occur during the early post-trauma period that might impede low-level emotion regulatory processes through alterations of sleep quality and physiology will be considered. Lastly, recent neuroimaging evidence from a fear conditioning and extinction paradigm in patient groups and their controls will be considered along with one possible neural process that may contribute to a vulnerability to PTSD following trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward F. Pace-Schott
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Corresponding author. Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital - East, CNY 149 13th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.
| | - Jeehye Seo
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Korea University, Department of Brain & Cognitive Engineering, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ryan Bottary
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
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21
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Owen C, Crane J. Trauma-Informed Design of Supported Housing: A Scoping Review through the Lens of Neuroscience. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:14279. [PMID: 36361166 PMCID: PMC9658651 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
There is growing recognition of the importance of the design of the built environment in supporting mental health. In this context, trauma-informed design has emerged as a new field of practice targeting the design of the built environment to support wellbeing and ameliorate the physical, psychological and emotional impacts of trauma and related pathologies such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). With high levels of prevalence of PTSD among people escaping homelessness and domestic violence, a priority area is the identification and application of evidence-based design solutions for trauma-informed supported housing. This study sought to examine the scope of existing evidence on the relationship between trauma, housing and design and the correlation of this evidence with trauma-informed design principles, and to identify gaps and opportunities for future research. In response to the commonly articulated limitations of the evidence-base in built environment design research, we combined a scoping review of literature on trauma, housing and design with insights from neuroscience to focus and extend understanding of the opportunities of trauma-informed design. We found that while limited in scope, there is strong alignment between existing evidence and the principles of trauma-informed design. We also identify three areas of future research related to the key domains of safety and security; control; and enriched environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ceridwen Owen
- School of Architecture and Design, College of Sciences and Engineering, University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS 7250, Australia
| | - James Crane
- Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
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22
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Habit Formation and the Effect of Repeated Stress Exposures on Cognitive Flexibility Learning in Horses. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12202818. [DOI: 10.3390/ani12202818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Horse training exposes horses to an array of cognitive and ethological challenges. Horses are routinely required to perform behaviours that are not aligned to aspects of their ethology, which may delay learning. While horses readily form habits during training, not all of these responses are considered desirable, resulting in the horse being subject to retraining. This is a form of cognitive flexibility and is critical to the extinction of habits and the learning of new responses. It is underpinned by complex neural processes which can be impaired by chronic or repeated stress. Domestic horses may be repeatedly exposed to multiples stressors. The potential contribution of stress impairments of cognitive flexibility to apparent training failures is not well understood, however research from neuroscience can be used to understand horses’ responses to training. We trained horses to acquire habit-like responses in one of two industry-style aversive instrumental learning scenarios (moving away from the stimulus-instinctual or moving towards the stimulus-non-instinctual) and evaluated the effect of repeated stress exposures on their cognitive flexibility in a reversal task. We measured heart rate as a proxy for noradrenaline release, salivary cortisol and serum Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) to infer possible neural correlates of the learning outcomes. The instinctual task which aligned with innate equine escape responses to aversive stimuli was acquired significantly faster than the non-instinctual task during both learning phases, however contrary to expectations, the repeated stress exposure did not impair the reversal learning. We report a preliminary finding that serum BDNF and salivary cortisol concentrations in horses are positively correlated. The ethological salience of training tasks and cognitive flexibility learning can significantly affect learning in horses and trainers should adapt their practices where such tasks challenge innate equine behaviour.
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Gorkiewicz T, Danielewski K, Andraka K, Kondrakiewicz K, Meyza K, Kaminski J, Knapska E. Social buffering diminishes fear response but does not equal improved fear extinction. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5007-5024. [PMID: 36218820 PMCID: PMC10110450 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Social support during exposure-based psychotherapy is believed to diminish fear and improve therapy outcomes. However, some clinical trials challenge that notion. Underlying mechanisms remain unknown, hindering the understanding of benefits and pitfalls of such approach. To study social buffering during fear extinction, we developed a behavioral model in which partner's presence decreases response to fear-associated stimuli. To identify the neuronal background of this phenomenon, we combined behavioral testing with c-Fos mapping, optogenetics, and chemogenetics. We found that the presence of a partner during fear extinction training causes robust inhibition of freezing; the effect, however, disappears in subjects tested individually on the following day. It is accompanied by lowered activation of the prelimbic (PL) and anterior cingulate (ACC) but not infralimbic (IL) cortex. Accordingly, blocking of IL activity left social buffering intact. Similarly, inhibition of the ventral hippocampus-PL pathway, suppressing fear response after prolonged extinction training, did not diminish the effect. In contrast, inhibition of the ACC-central amygdala pathway, modulating social behavior, blocked social buffering. By reporting that social modulation of fear inhibition is transient and insensitive to manipulation of the fear extinction-related circuits, we show that the mechanisms underlying social buffering during extinction are different from those of individual extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Gorkiewicz
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Konrad Danielewski
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Karolina Andraka
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kacper Kondrakiewicz
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.,NeuroElectronics Research Flanders, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ksenia Meyza
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jan Kaminski
- Neurophysiology of Mind Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
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Zaki Y, Mau W, Cincotta C, Monasterio A, Odom E, Doucette E, Grella SL, Merfeld E, Shpokayte M, Ramirez S. Hippocampus and amygdala fear memory engrams re-emerge after contextual fear relapse. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1992-2001. [PMID: 35941286 PMCID: PMC9485238 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01407-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The formation and extinction of fear memories represent two forms of learning that each engage the hippocampus and amygdala. How cell populations in these areas contribute to fear relapse, however, remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that, in male mice, cells active during fear conditioning in the dentate gyrus of hippocampus exhibit decreased activity during extinction and are re-engaged after contextual fear relapse. In vivo calcium imaging reveals that relapse drives population dynamics in the basolateral amygdala to revert to a network state similar to the state present during fear conditioning. Finally, we find that optogenetic inactivation of neuronal ensembles active during fear conditioning in either the hippocampus or amygdala is sufficient to disrupt fear expression after relapse, while optogenetic stimulation of these same ensembles after extinction is insufficient to artificially mimic fear relapse. These results suggest that fear relapse triggers a partial re-emergence of the original fear memory representation, providing new insight into the neural substrates of fear relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yosif Zaki
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - William Mau
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Christine Cincotta
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Amy Monasterio
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Emma Odom
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Emily Doucette
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Stephanie L Grella
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Emily Merfeld
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Monika Shpokayte
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Steve Ramirez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
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Vasudevan K, Ramanathan KR, Vierkant V, Maren S. Nucleus reuniens inactivation does not impair consolidation or reconsolidation of fear extinction. LEARNING & MEMORY (COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y.) 2022; 29:216-222. [PMID: 35902273 PMCID: PMC9374271 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053611.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Recent data reveal that the thalamic nucleus reuniens (RE) has a critical role in the extinction of conditioned fear. Muscimol (MUS) infusions into the RE impair within-session extinction of conditioned freezing and result in poor long-term extinction memories in rats. Although this suggests that RE inactivation impairs extinction learning, it is also possible that it is involved in the consolidation of extinction memories. To examine this possibility, we examined the effects of RE inactivation on the consolidation and reconsolidation of fear extinction in male and female rats. Twenty-four hours after auditory fear conditioning, rats underwent an extinction procedure (45 CS-alone trials) in a novel context and were infused with saline (SAL) or MUS within minutes of the final extinction trial. Twenty-four hours later, conditioned freezing to the extinguished CS was assessed in the extinction context. Postextinction inactivation of the RE did not affect extinction retrieval. In a second experiment, rats underwent extinction training and, 24 h later, were presented with a single CS to reactivate the extinction memory; rats were infused with SAL or MUS immediately after the reactivation session. Pharmacological inactivation of the RE did not affect conditioned freezing measured in a drug-free retrieval test the following day. Importantly, we found in a subsequent test that MUS infusions immediately before retrieval testing increased conditioned freezing and impaired extinction retrieval, as we have previously reported. These results indicate that although RE inactivation impairs the expression of extinction, it does not impair either the consolidation or reconsolidation of extinction memories. We conclude that the RE may have a critical role in suppressing context-inappropriate fear memories in the extinction context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krithika Vasudevan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Karthik R Ramanathan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Valerie Vierkant
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
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26
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Functional ultrasound imaging of recent and remote memory recall in the associative fear neural network in mice. Behav Brain Res 2022; 428:113862. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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27
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Casaglia E, Luppi PH. Is paradoxical sleep setting up innate and acquired complex sensorimotor and adaptive behaviours?: A proposed function based on literature review. J Sleep Res 2022; 31:e13633. [PMID: 35596591 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We summarize here the progress in identifying the neuronal network as well as the function of paradoxical sleep and the gaps of knowledge that should be filled in priority. The core system generating paradoxical sleep localized in the brainstem is now well identified, and the next step is to clarify the role of the forebrain in particular that of the hypothalamus including the melanin-concentrating hormone neurons and of the basolateral amygdala. We discuss these two options, and also the discovery that cortical activation during paradoxical sleep is restricted to a few limbic cortices activated by the lateral supramammillary nucleus and the claustrum. Such activation nicely supports the findings recently obtained showing that neuronal reactivation occurs during paradoxical sleep in these structures, and induces both memory consolidation of important memory and forgetting of less relevant ones. The question that still remains to be answered is whether paradoxical sleep is playing more crucial roles in processing emotional and procedural than other types of memories. One attractive hypothesis is that paradoxical sleep is responsible for erasing negative emotional memories, and that this function is not properly functioning in depressed patients. On the other hand, the presence of a muscle atonia during paradoxical sleep is in favour of a role in procedural memory as new types of motor behaviours can be tried without harm during the state. In a way, it also fits with the proposed role of paradoxical sleep in setting up the sensorimotor system during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Casaglia
- INSERM, U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Team "Physiopathologie des réseaux neuronaux responsables du cycle veille-sommeil", Lyon, France.,University Lyon 1, Lyon, France.,University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Pierre-Hervé Luppi
- INSERM, U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Team "Physiopathologie des réseaux neuronaux responsables du cycle veille-sommeil", Lyon, France.,University Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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28
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Maren S. Unrelenting Fear Under Stress: Neural Circuits and Mechanisms for the Immediate Extinction Deficit. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:888461. [PMID: 35520882 PMCID: PMC9062589 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.888461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic interventions for disorders of fear and anxiety rely on behavioral approaches that reduce pathological fear memories. For example, learning that threat-predictive stimuli are no longer associated with aversive outcomes is central to the extinction of conditioned fear responses. Unfortunately, fear memories are durable, long-lasting, and resistant to extinction, particularly under high levels of stress. This is illustrated by the “immediate extinction deficit,” which is characterized by a poor long-term reduction of conditioned fear when extinction procedures are attempted within hours of fear conditioning. Here, I will review recent work that has provided new insight into the neural mechanisms underlying resistance to fear extinction. Emerging studies reveal that locus coeruleus norepinephrine modulates amygdala-prefrontal cortical circuits that are critical for extinction learning. These data suggest that stress-induced activation of brain neuromodulatory systems biases fear memory at the expense of extinction learning. Behavioral and pharmacological strategies to reduce stress in patients undergoing exposure therapy might improve therapeutic outcomes.
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29
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Kearns AM, Siemsen BM, Hopkins JL, Weber RA, Scofield MD, Peters J, Reichel CM. Chemogenetic inhibition of corticostriatal circuits reduces cued reinstatement of methamphetamine seeking. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13097. [PMID: 34431593 PMCID: PMC8809357 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (meth) causes enduring changes within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the nucleus accumbens (NA). Projections from the mPFC to the NA have a distinct dorsal-ventral distribution, with the prelimbic (PL) mPFC projecting to the NAcore, and the infralimbic (IL) mPFC projecting to the NAshell. Inhibition of these circuits has opposing effects on cocaine relapse. Inhibition of PL-NAcore reduces cued reinstatement of cocaine seeking and IL-NAshell inhibition reinstates cocaine seeking. Meth, however, exhibits a different profile, as pharmacological inhibition of either the PL or IL decrease cued reinstatement of meth-seeking. The potentially opposing roles of the PL-NAcore and IL-NAshell projections remain to be explored in the context of cued meth seeking. Here we used an intersectional viral vector approach that employs a retrograde delivery of Cre from the NA and Cre-dependent expression of DREADD in the mPFC, in both male and female rats to inhibit or activate these parallel pathways. Inhibition of the PL-NAcore circuit reduced cued reinstatement of meth seeking under short and long-access meth self-administration and after withdrawal with and without extinction. Inhibition of the IL-NAshell also decreased meth cued reinstatement. Activation of the parallel circuits was without an effect. These studies show that inhibition of the PL-NAcore or the IL-NAshell circuits can inhibit reinstated meth seeking. Thus, the neural circuitry mediating cued reinstatement of meth seeking is similar to cocaine in the dorsal, but not ventral, mPFC-NA circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M. Kearns
- Department of Neuroscience Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
| | - Benjamin M. Siemsen
- Department of Anesthesiology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
| | - Jordan L. Hopkins
- Department of Neuroscience Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
| | - Rachel A. Weber
- Department of Neuroscience Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Neuroscience Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
- Department of Anesthesiology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
| | - Jamie Peters
- Department of Anesthesiology University of Colorado Denver Aurora Colorado USA
- Department of Pharmacology University of Colorado Denver Aurora Colorado USA
| | - Carmela M. Reichel
- Department of Neuroscience Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
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Medication-enhanced psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: Recent findings on oxytocin’s involvement in the neurobiology and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY IN EUROPE 2021; 3:e3645. [DOI: 10.32872/cpe.3645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Traumatic experiences may result in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is characterized as an exaggerated fear response that cannot be extinguished over time or in safe environments. What are beneficial psychotherapeutic treatment options for PTSD patients? Can oxytocin (OXT), which is involved in the stress response, and safety learning, ameliorate PTSD symptomatology and enhance psychotherapeutic effects? Here, we will review recent studies regarding OXT’s potential to enhance psychotherapeutic therapies for PTSD treatment.
Method
We conducted a literature review on the neurobiological underpinnings of PTSD especially focusing on OXT’s involvement in the biology and memory formation of PTSD. Furthermore, we researched successful psychotherapeutic treatments for PTSD patients and discuss how OXT may facilitate observed psychotherapeutic effects.
Results
For a relevant proportion of PTSD patients, existing psychotherapies are not beneficial. OXT may be a promising candidate to enhance psychotherapeutic effects, because it dampens responses to stressful events and allows for a faster recovery after stress. On a neural basis, OXT modulates processes that are involved in stress, arousal and memory. OXT effectively counteracts memory impairments caused by stress and facilitates social support seeking which is a key resilience factor for PTSD and which is beneficial in psychotherapeutic settings.
Conclusion
OXT has many characteristics that are promising to positively influence psychotherapy for PTSD patients. It potentially reduces intrusions, but preserves memory of the event itself. Introducing OXT into psychotherapeutic settings may result in better treatment outcomes for PTSD patients. Future research should directly investigate OXT’s effects on PTSD, especially in psychotherapeutic settings.
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Andreatta M, Pauli P. Contextual modulation of conditioned responses in humans: A review on virtual reality studies. Clin Psychol Rev 2021; 90:102095. [PMID: 34763127 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Conditioned response (CRs) triggered by stimuli predicting aversive consequences have been confirmed across various species including humans, and were found to be exaggerated in anxious individuals and anxiety disorder patients. Importantly, contextual information may strongly modulate such conditioned responses (CR), however, there are several methodological boundaries in the translation of animal findings to humans, and from healthy individuals to patients. Virtual Reality (VR) is a useful technological tool for overcoming such boundaries. In this review, we summarize and evaluate human VR conditioning studies exploring the role of the context as conditioned stimulus or occasion setter for CRs. We observe that VR allows successful acquisition of conditioned anxiety and conditioned fear in response to virtual contexts and virtual cues, respectively. VR studies also revealed that spatial or temporal contextual information determine whether conditioned anxiety and conditioned fear become extinguished and/or return. Novel contexts resembling the threatening context foster conditioned fear but not conditioned anxiety, suggesting distinct context-related generalization processes. We conclude VR contexts are able to strongly modulate CRs and therefore allow a comprehensive investigation of the modulatory role of the context over CR in humans leading to conclusions relevant for non-VR and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Andreatta
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, Educational Sciences, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Paul Pauli
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
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Szadzinska W, Danielewski K, Kondrakiewicz K, Andraka K, Nikolaev E, Mikosz M, Knapska E. Hippocampal Inputs in the Prelimbic Cortex Curb Fear after Extinction. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9129-9140. [PMID: 34518304 PMCID: PMC8570826 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0764-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In contrast to easily formed fear memories, fear extinction requires prolonged training. The prelimbic cortex (PL), which integrates signals from brain structures involved in fear conditioning and extinction such as the ventral hippocampus (vHIP) and the basolateral amygdala (BL), is necessary for fear memory retrieval. Little is known, however, about how the vHIP and BL inputs to the PL regulate the display of fear after fear extinction. Using functional anatomy tracing in male rats, we found two distinct subpopulations of neurons in the PL activated by either the successful extinction or the relapse of fear. During the retrieval of fear extinction memory, the dominant input to active neurons in the PL was from the vHIP, whereas the retrieval of fear memory, regardless of the age of a memory and testing context, was associated with greater BL input. Optogenetic stimulation of the vHIP-PL pathway after one session of fear extinction increased conditioned fear, whereas stimulation of the vHIP inputs after several sessions of extinction decreased the conditioned fear response. This latter effect was, however, transient, as stimulation of this pathway 28 d after extinction increased conditioned fear response again. The results show that repeated fear extinction training gradually changes vHIP-PL connectivity, making fear suppression possible, whereas in the absence of fear suppression from the vHIP, signals from the BL can play a dominant role, resulting in high levels of fear.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Behavioral therapies of fear are based on extinction learning. As extinction memories fade over time, such therapies produce only a temporary suppression of fear, which constitutes a clinical and societal challenge. In our study, we provide a framework for understating the underlying mechanism by which extinction of fear memories fade by demonstrating the existence of two subpopulations of neurons in the prelimbic cortex associated with low and high levels of fear. Insufficient extinction and exposure to the context in which fear memory was formed promoted high fear neuronal activity in the prelimbic cortex, leading to fear retrieval. Extensive extinction training, on the other hand, boosted low fear neuronal activity and, as a result, extinction memory retrieval. This effect was, however, transient and disappeared with time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weronika Szadzinska
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki-European Molecular Biology Laboratory Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Pasteur 3 Str., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Konrad Danielewski
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki-European Molecular Biology Laboratory Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Pasteur 3 Str., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kacper Kondrakiewicz
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki-European Molecular Biology Laboratory Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Pasteur 3 Str., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Karolina Andraka
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki-European Molecular Biology Laboratory Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Pasteur 3 Str., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Evgeni Nikolaev
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki-European Molecular Biology Laboratory Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Pasteur 3 Str., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marta Mikosz
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki-European Molecular Biology Laboratory Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Pasteur 3 Str., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki-European Molecular Biology Laboratory Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Pasteur 3 Str., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
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Au J, Katz B, Moon A, Talati S, Abagis TR, Jonides J, Jaeggi SM. Post-training stimulation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex impairs working memory training performance. J Neurosci Res 2021; 99:2351-2363. [PMID: 33438297 PMCID: PMC8273206 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Research investigating transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to enhance cognitive training augments both our understanding of its long-term effects on cognitive plasticity as well as potential applications to strengthen cognitive interventions. Previous work has demonstrated enhancement of working memory training while applying concurrent tDCS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). However, the optimal stimulation parameters are still unknown. For example, the timing of tDCS delivery has been shown to be an influential variable that can interact with task learning. In the present study, we used tDCS to target the right DLPFC while participants trained on a visuospatial working memory task. We sought to compare the relative efficacy of online stimulation delivered during training to offline stimulation delivered either immediately before or afterwards. We were unable to replicate previously demonstrated benefits of online stimulation; however, we did find evidence that offline stimulation delivered after training can actually be detrimental to training performance relative to sham. We interpret our results in light of evidence suggesting a role of the right DLPFC in promoting memory interference, and conclude that while tDCS may be a promising tool to influence the results of cognitive training, more research and an abundance of caution are needed before fully endorsing its use for cognitive enhancement. This work suggests that effects can vary substantially in magnitude and direction between studies, and may be heavily dependent on a variety of intervention protocol parameters such as the timing and location of stimulation delivery, about which our understanding is still nascent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacky Au
- School of Education, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Benjamin Katz
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Austin Moon
- School of Education, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Sheebani Talati
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Tessa R. Abagis
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - John Jonides
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Susanne M. Jaeggi
- School of Education, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
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34
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Whittle N, Fadok J, MacPherson KP, Nguyen R, Botta P, Wolff SBE, Müller C, Herry C, Tovote P, Holmes A, Singewald N, Lüthi A, Ciocchi S. Central amygdala micro-circuits mediate fear extinction. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4156. [PMID: 34230461 PMCID: PMC8260764 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24068-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear extinction is an adaptive process whereby defensive responses are attenuated following repeated experience of prior fear-related stimuli without harm. The formation of extinction memories involves interactions between various corticolimbic structures, resulting in reduced central amygdala (CEA) output. Recent studies show, however, the CEA is not merely an output relay of fear responses but contains multiple neuronal subpopulations that interact to calibrate levels of fear responding. Here, by integrating behavioural, in vivo electrophysiological, anatomical and optogenetic approaches in mice we demonstrate that fear extinction produces reversible, stimulus- and context-specific changes in neuronal responses to conditioned stimuli in functionally and genetically defined cell types in the lateral (CEl) and medial (CEm) CEA. Moreover, we show these alterations are absent when extinction is deficient and that selective silencing of protein kinase C delta-expressing (PKCδ) CEl neurons impairs fear extinction. Our findings identify CEA inhibitory microcircuits that act as critical elements within the brain networks mediating fear extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nigel Whittle
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Jonathan Fadok
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Psychology and Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Kathryn P MacPherson
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Robin Nguyen
- Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Physiology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Paolo Botta
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Steffen B E Wolff
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christian Müller
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Cyril Herry
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
| | - Philip Tovote
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nicolas Singewald
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andreas Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland. .,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Stéphane Ciocchi
- Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Physiology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
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Chaaya N, Wang J, Jacques A, Beecher K, Chaaya M, Battle AR, Johnson LR, Chehrehasa F, Belmer A, Bartlett SE. Contextual Fear Memory Maintenance Changes Expression of pMAPK, BDNF and IBA-1 in the Pre-limbic Cortex in a Layer-Specific Manner. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:660199. [PMID: 34295224 PMCID: PMC8291085 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.660199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating and chronic fear-based disorder. Pavlovian fear conditioning protocols have long been utilised to manipulate and study these fear-based disorders. Contextual fear conditioning (CFC) is a particular Pavlovian conditioning procedure that pairs fear with a particular context. Studies on the neural mechanisms underlying the development of contextual fear memories have identified the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), or more specifically, the pre-limbic cortex (PL) of the mPFC as essential for the expression of contextual fear. Despite this, little research has explored the role of the PL in contextual fear memory maintenance or examined the role of neuronal mitogen-activated protein kinase (pMAPK; ERK 1/2), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and IBA-1 in microglia in the PL as a function of Pavlovian fear conditioning. The current study was designed to evaluate how the maintenance of two different long-term contextual fear memories leads to changes in the number of immune-positive cells for two well-known markers of neural activity (phosphorylation of MAPK and BDNF) and microglia (IBA-1). Therefore, the current experiment is designed to assess the number of immune-positive pMAPK and BDNF cells, microglial number, and morphology in the PL following CFC. Specifically, 2 weeks following conditioning, pMAPK, BDNF, and microglia number and morphology were evaluated using well-validated antibodies and immunohistochemistry (n = 12 rats per group). A standard CFC protocol applied to rats led to increases in pMAPK, BDNF expression and microglia number as compared to control conditions. Rats in the unpaired fear conditioning (UFC) procedure, despite having equivalent levels of fear to context, did not have any change in pMAPK, BDNF expression and microglia number in the PL compared to the control conditions. These data suggest that alterations in the expression of pMAPK, BDNF, and microglia in the PL can occur for up to 2 weeks following CFC. Together the data suggest that MAPK, BDNF, and microglia within the PL of the mPFC may play a role in contextual fear memory maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Chaaya
- School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Translational Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Joshua Wang
- School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Translational Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Angela Jacques
- School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Translational Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kate Beecher
- School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Translational Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Michael Chaaya
- School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Translational Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Andrew Raymond Battle
- Translational Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Luke R Johnson
- Translational Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, USU School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Fatemeh Chehrehasa
- Translational Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Arnauld Belmer
- School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Translational Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Selena E Bartlett
- School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Translational Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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36
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Hintiryan H, Bowman I, Johnson DL, Korobkova L, Zhu M, Khanjani N, Gou L, Gao L, Yamashita S, Bienkowski MS, Garcia L, Foster NN, Benavidez NL, Song MY, Lo D, Cotter KR, Becerra M, Aquino S, Cao C, Cabeen RP, Stanis J, Fayzullina M, Ustrell SA, Boesen T, Tugangui AJ, Zhang ZG, Peng B, Fanselow MS, Golshani P, Hahn JD, Wickersham IR, Ascoli GA, Zhang LI, Dong HW. Connectivity characterization of the mouse basolateral amygdalar complex. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2859. [PMID: 34001873 PMCID: PMC8129205 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22915-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The basolateral amygdalar complex (BLA) is implicated in behaviors ranging from fear acquisition to addiction. Optogenetic methods have enabled the association of circuit-specific functions to uniquely connected BLA cell types. Thus, a systematic and detailed connectivity profile of BLA projection neurons to inform granular, cell type-specific interrogations is warranted. Here, we apply machine-learning based computational and informatics analysis techniques to the results of circuit-tracing experiments to create a foundational, comprehensive BLA connectivity map. The analyses identify three distinct domains within the anterior BLA (BLAa) that house target-specific projection neurons with distinguishable morphological features. We identify brain-wide targets of projection neurons in the three BLAa domains, as well as in the posterior BLA, ventral BLA, posterior basomedial, and lateral amygdalar nuclei. Inputs to each nucleus also are identified via retrograde tracing. The data suggests that connectionally unique, domain-specific BLAa neurons are associated with distinct behavior networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houri Hintiryan
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Ian Bowman
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - David L Johnson
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Laura Korobkova
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Muye Zhu
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Neda Khanjani
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lin Gou
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lei Gao
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Seita Yamashita
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael S Bienkowski
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Luis Garcia
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas N Foster
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nora L Benavidez
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Monica Y Song
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Darrick Lo
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kaelan R Cotter
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Marlene Becerra
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sarvia Aquino
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Chunru Cao
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ryan P Cabeen
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jim Stanis
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Marina Fayzullina
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sarah A Ustrell
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tyler Boesen
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Amanda J Tugangui
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Zheng-Gang Zhang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bo Peng
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael S Fanselow
- Brain Research Institute, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Peyman Golshani
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Joel D Hahn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ian R Wickersham
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Giorgio A Ascoli
- Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Li I Zhang
- Center for Neural Circuitry & Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hong-Wei Dong
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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An Adolescent Sensitive Period for Threat Responding: Impacts of Stress and Sex. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:651-658. [PMID: 33342545 PMCID: PMC7954972 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety and fear-related disorders peak in prevalence during adolescence, a window of rapid behavioral development and neural remodeling. However, understanding of the development of threat responding and the underlying neural circuits remains limited. Preclinical models of threat conditioning and extinction have provided an unparalleled glimpse into the developing brain. In this review we discuss mouse and rat studies on the development of threat response regulation, with a focus on the adolescent period. Evidence of nonlinear patterns of threat responding during adolescence and the continued development of the underlying circuitry is highly indicative of an adolescent sensitive period for threat response regulation. While we highlight literature in support of this unique developmental window, we also emphasize the need for causal studies to clarify the parameters defining such a sensitive period. In doing so, we explore how stress and biological sex affect the development and expression of threat response regulation during adolescence and beyond. Ultimately, a deeper understanding of how these factors interact with and affect developmental trajectories of learning and memory will inform treatment and prevention strategies for pediatric anxiety disorders.
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38
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Cassel JC, Ferraris M, Quilichini P, Cholvin T, Boch L, Stephan A, Pereira de Vasconcelos A. The reuniens and rhomboid nuclei of the thalamus: A crossroads for cognition-relevant information processing? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 126:338-360. [PMID: 33766671 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Over the past twenty years, the reuniens and rhomboid (ReRh) nuclei, which constitute the ventral midline thalamus, have received constantly growing attention. Since our first review article about the functional contributions of ReRh nuclei (Cassel et al., 2013), numerous (>80) important papers have extended anatomical knowledge, including at a developmental level, introduced new and very original electrophysiological insights on ReRh functions, and brought novel results on cognitive and non-cognitive implications of the ReRh. The current review will cover these recent articles, more on Re than on Rh, and their contribution will be approached according to their affiliation with work before 2013. These neuroanatomical, electrophysiological or behavioral findings appear coherent and point to the ReRh nuclei as two major components of a multistructural system supporting numerous cognitive (and non-cognitive) functions. They gate the flow of information, perhaps especially from the medial prefrontal cortex to the hippocampus and back, and coordinate activity and processing across these two (and possibly other) brain regions of major cognitive relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Christophe Cassel
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France.
| | - Maëva Ferraris
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| | - Pascale Quilichini
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| | - Thibault Cholvin
- Institute for Physiology I, University Clinics Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Laurine Boch
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Aline Stephan
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Anne Pereira de Vasconcelos
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
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Haider S, Batool Z, Rafiq S. Method for the identification of pharmacological intervention for the disruption of fear memory in PTSD-rat model. MethodsX 2020; 7:101059. [PMID: 32995310 PMCID: PMC7516129 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2020.101059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A large portion of the human population is exposed to traumatic events once in their lifetime, 10% of which may undergo post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is a mental condition triggered by a traumatic event resulting in severe anxiety disorder which may severely affect the daily routine life of the individual. The patient expresses the aversive memory by recalling any fear event related to the traumatic experience. The disruption of fear memory related to fear event is one of the best approaches to treat PTSD. In this regard, pharmacological interventions provide a possible way to erase or lessen the fear memory of the traumatic event. The screening and identification of drugs is one of the crucial steps to introduce new potent drugs in preclinical setup. Pavlovian fear conditioning is the well known experimental protocol to study fear memory. In this article, we are presenting a detailed method of Pavlovian fear conditioning which we have optimized in our lab for the identification of drugs having the potential to disrupt fear memory in the PTSD-rat model. In this protocol, various stages of memory formation including consolidation, reconsolidation, and extinction have been targeted to study the effect of a particular drug.•The protocol provides step by step procedure to study the effects of known or putative drugs in an animal model of PTSD.•The method also explains the separate protocols to target specific stages of memory so that one can identify the effects of drugs on a particular phase of remote or recent memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saida Haider
- Neurochemistry and Biochemical Neuropharmacology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
| | - Zehra Batool
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Sahar Rafiq
- Neurochemistry and Biochemical Neuropharmacology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
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40
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Li Y, Li L, Wu J, Zhu Z, Feng X, Qin L, Zhu Y, Sun L, Liu Y, Qiu Z, Duan S, Yu YQ. Activation of astrocytes in hippocampus decreases fear memory through adenosine A 1 receptors. eLife 2020; 9:57155. [PMID: 32869747 PMCID: PMC7505657 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes respond to and regulate neuronal activity, yet their role in mammalian behavior remains incompletely understood. Especially unclear is whether, and if so how, astrocyte activity regulates contextual fear memory, the dysregulation of which leads to pathological fear-related disorders. We generated GFAP-ChR2-EYFP rats to allow the specific activation of astrocytes in vivo by optogenetics. We found that after memory acquisition within a temporal window, astrocyte activation disrupted memory consolidation and persistently decreased contextual but not cued fear memory accompanied by reduced fear-related anxiety behavior. In vivo microdialysis experiments showed astrocyte photoactivation increased extracellular ATP and adenosine concentrations. Intracerebral blockade of adenosine A1 receptors (A1Rs) reversed the attenuation of fear memory. Furthermore, intracerebral or intraperitoneal injection of A1R agonist mimicked the effects of astrocyte activation. Therefore, our findings provide a deeper understanding of the astrocyte-mediated regulation of fear memory and suggest a new and important therapeutic strategy against pathological fear-related disorders. Memory is the record of what we learn over time and is essential to our survival. But not all memories are helpful. Repeatedly recalling a traumatic event – such as an assault – can be harmful. About 1 in 3 people who experience severe trauma go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in which they re-live the traumatic event in the form of flashbacks and nightmares. Others develop panic disorder, phobias or depression. Preventing this chain of events is challenging because fear memories form rapidly and last a long time. Current treatments involve re-exposing individuals to the traumatic event. This could be real-life exposure in the case of a phobia. Or it could involve visualizing the event, in the case of PTSD. Controlled re-exposure can help individuals learn new coping strategies. But it does not erase the initial fear memory. A better approach might be to take advantage of the fact that new memories are unstable. To form a long-lasting memory trace, newly acquired information must go through a process called consolidation to stabilize it. This process takes place in an area of the brain called the hippocampus. If consolidation does not occur, new memory traces can fade away. Li, Li et al. now show that preventing consolidation in the rat brain stops the animals from forming lasting memories of a stressful event, namely a foot shock. In the study, the rats first learned to associate a foot shock with a tone. This training took place inside a specific chamber. After learning the association, the rats began to freeze – a sign of fear – whenever they entered the chamber. This happened even if the tone was not played. But Li, Li et al. showed that they could reduce this fear response by activating cells in the hippocampus known as astrocytes, shortly after the learning episode. Activating the astrocytes made them release a substance called adenosine. Molecules of adenosine then bound to and activated proteins called adenosine A1 receptors. Administering a drug that activated these receptors directly had the same effect as activating the astrocytes themselves. This suggests that drugs of this type could one day help patients with fear-related disorders such as PTSD and phobias. For this to become a reality, new studies must test different drugs and find the best ways of administering them. After testing in animal models, the next step will be preliminary clinical trials in people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulan Li
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lixuan Li
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jintao Wu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhenggang Zhu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiang Feng
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Liming Qin
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuwei Zhu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Li Sun
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yijun Liu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zilong Qiu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Shumin Duan
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Research Units for Emotion and Emotion Disorders, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yan-Qin Yu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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41
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Extinction learning alters the neural representation of conditioned fear. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 20:983-997. [PMID: 32720205 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-020-00814-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Extinction learning is a primary means by which conditioned associations to threats are controlled and is a model system for emotion dysregulation in anxiety disorders. Recent work has called for new approaches to track extinction-related changes in conditioned stimulus (CS) representations. We applied a multivariate analysis to previously -collected functional magnetic resonance imaging data on extinction learning, in which healthy young adult participants (N = 43; 21 males, 22 females) encountered dynamic snake and spider CSs while passively navigating 3D virtual environments. We used representational similarity analysis to compare voxel-wise activation t-statistic maps for the shock-reinforced CS (CS+) from the late phase of fear acquisition to the early and late phases of extinction learning within subjects. These patterns became more dissimilar from early to late extinction in a priori regions of interest: subgenual and dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus, amygdala and hippocampus. A whole-brain searchlight analysis revealed similar findings in the insula, mid-cingulate cortex, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, somatosensory cortex, cerebellum, and visual cortex. High state anxiety attenuated extinction-related changes to the CS+ patterning in the amygdala, which suggests an enduring threat representation. None of these effects generalized to an unreinforced control cue, nor were they evident in traditional univariate analyses. Our approach extends previous neuroimaging work by emphasizing how evoked neural patterns change from late acquisition through phases of extinction learning, including those in brain regions not traditionally implicated in animal models. Finally, the findings provide additional support for a role of the amygdala in anxiety-related persistence of conditioned fears.
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42
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Proximal threats promote enhanced acquisition and persistence of reactive fear-learning circuits. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:16678-16689. [PMID: 32601212 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2004258117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Physical proximity to a traumatic event increases the severity of accompanying stress symptoms, an effect that is reminiscent of evolutionarily configured fear responses based on threat imminence. Despite being widely adopted as a model system for stress and anxiety disorders, fear-conditioning research has not yet characterized how threat proximity impacts the mechanisms of fear acquisition and extinction in the human brain. We used three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality technology to manipulate the egocentric distance of conspecific threats while healthy adult participants navigated virtual worlds during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Consistent with theoretical predictions, proximal threats enhanced fear acquisition by shifting conditioned learning from cognitive to reactive fear circuits in the brain and reducing amygdala-cortical connectivity during both fear acquisition and extinction. With an analysis of representational pattern similarity between the acquisition and extinction phases, we further demonstrate that proximal threats impaired extinction efficacy via persistent multivariate representations of conditioned learning in the cerebellum, which predicted susceptibility to later fear reinstatement. These results show that conditioned threats encountered in close proximity are more resistant to extinction learning and suggest that the canonical neural circuitry typically associated with fear learning requires additional consideration of a more reactive neural fear system to fully account for this effect.
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43
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Tavakkoli A, Fournier DI, Bucci DJ, Todd TP. Reduced renewal of conditioned suppression following lesions of the dorsal hippocampus in male rats. Behav Neurosci 2020; 134:444-459. [PMID: 32525334 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Extinguished responding will renew when the conditioned stimulus occurs outside the extinction context. Although studies of conditioned freezing have consistently demonstrated a role for the hippocampus in renewal, several studies have demonstrated intact renewal of conditioned suppression despite damage to the hippocampus (Frohardt, Guarraci, & Bouton, 2000; Todd, Jiang, DeAngeli, & Bucci, 2017; Wilson, Brooks, & Bouton, 1995). Because these prior studies have examined renewal when testing occurred in the original conditioning context ("Context A"), the present conditioned suppression experiments examined the role of the hippocampus when testing occurred in a context not associated with prior conditioning ("Context C"). In Experiments 1 and 2, conditioning occurred in Context A, and extinction in Context B. Renewal of conditioned suppression was observed when the extinguished conditioned stimulus (CS) was tested in Context C. However, renewal was attenuated in rats with lesions of the dorsal hippocampus (DH). Summation testing failed to detect conditioned inhibition in the extinction context, suggesting instead that the context acquired negative occasion-setting properties. Attenuated renewal was not due to an inability of DH lesioned rats to discriminate contexts (Experiment 3). These experiments thus demonstrate a role for the DH in renewal of conditioned suppression when testing occurs in a neutral context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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44
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Joo B, Koo JW, Lee S. Posterior parietal cortex mediates fear renewal in a novel context. Mol Brain 2020; 13:16. [PMID: 32024548 PMCID: PMC7003400 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-020-0556-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The return of fear following extinction therapy is an important issue associated with the treatment of many fear-related disorders. Fear renewal is a suitable model, with which context-dependent modulation of the fear response can be examined. In this model, any context outside of an extinction context (e.g., novel or familiar contexts) could evoke relapse of the fear response. However, brain regions associated with context-dependent modulation are not fully understood. The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is considered a center for integrating multisensory information and making decisions. To study its role in the contextual modulation of fear relapse, we reversibly inactivated the PPC in mice before they were exposed to various contexts after extinction training. When muscimol was infused into the PPC, fear renewal was impaired in a novel context, but not in a familiar context. Fear relapses were blocked during optogenetic inhibition of the PPC, only when animals were placed in a novel context. We propose that the neural activity of the PPC is necessary for the relapse of a precise response to an extinguished conditioned stimulus in a novel context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bitna Joo
- Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), 61 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu, 41068, Republic of Korea.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), 333 Techno Jungang-daero, Hyeonpung-myeon, Dalseong-gun, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Ja Wook Koo
- Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), 61 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu, 41068, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), 333 Techno Jungang-daero, Hyeonpung-myeon, Dalseong-gun, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sukwon Lee
- Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), 61 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu, 41068, Republic of Korea.
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45
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Lecei A, van Winkel R. Hippocampal pattern separation of emotional information determining risk or resilience in individuals exposed to childhood trauma: Linking exposure to neurodevelopmental alterations and threat anticipation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:160-170. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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46
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Nikitin V, Solntseva S, Kozyrev S, Nikitin P. Long-term memory consolidation or reconsolidation impairment induces amnesia with key characteristics that are similar to key learning characteristics. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:542-558. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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47
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Sangha S, Diehl MM, Bergstrom HC, Drew MR. Know safety, no fear. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:218-230. [PMID: 31738952 PMCID: PMC6981293 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Every day we are bombarded by stimuli that must be assessed for their potential for harm or benefit. Once a stimulus is learned to predict harm, it can elicit fear responses. Such learning can last a lifetime but is not always beneficial for an organism. For an organism to thrive in its environment, it must know when to engage in defensive, avoidance behaviors and when to engage in non-defensive, approach behaviors. Fear should be suppressed in situations that are not dangerous: when a novel, innocuous stimulus resembles a feared stimulus, when a feared stimulus no longer predicts harm, or when there is an option to avoid harm. A cardinal feature of anxiety disorders is the inability to suppress fear adaptively. In PTSD, for instance, learned fear is expressed inappropriately in safe situations and is resistant to extinction. In this review, we discuss mechanisms of suppressing fear responses during stimulus discrimination, fear extinction, and active avoidance, focusing on the well-studied tripartite circuit consisting of the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Sangha
- Department of Psychological Sciences and Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
| | - Maria M Diehl
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA.
| | - Hadley C Bergstrom
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA.
| | - Michael R Drew
- Center for Learning and Memory and Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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48
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Stansley BJ, Fisher NM, Gogliotti RG, Lindsley CW, Conn PJ, Niswender CM. Contextual Fear Extinction Induces Hippocampal Metaplasticity Mediated by Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:4291-4304. [PMID: 29136107 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysregulated fear memory can lead to a broad spectrum of anxiety disorders. The brain systems underlying fear memory are manifold, with the hippocampus being prominently involved by housing fear-related spatial memories as engrams, which are created and stored through neural changes such as synaptic plasticity. Although metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors contribute significantly to both fear behavior and hippocampal synaptic plasticity, the relationship between these two phenomena has not been fully elucidated. Here, we report that contextual fear extinction induces a novel form of metaplasticity mediated by mGlu5 at the hippocampal SC-CA1 synapse. Further, blockade of mGlu5 prevents both contextual fear extinction and expression of this metaplasticity. This form of metaplasticity was absent in a mouse model of MECP2-duplication syndrome, corresponding to a complete deficit in extinction learning. These findings suggest that mGlu5-dependent metaplasticity within the hippocampus may play a critical role in extinction of contextual fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Branden J Stansley
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Nicole M Fisher
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Rocco G Gogliotti
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Craig W Lindsley
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - P Jeffrey Conn
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Colleen M Niswender
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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49
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Du K, Lu W, Sun Y, Feng J, Wang JH. mRNA and miRNA profiles in the nucleus accumbens are related to fear memory and anxiety induced by physical or psychological stress. J Psychiatr Res 2019; 118:44-65. [PMID: 31493709 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety is presumably driven by fear memory. The nucleus accumbens involves emotional regulation. Molecular profiles in the nucleus accumbens related to stress-induced fear memory remain elucidated. Fear memory in mice was induced by a paradigm of social defeat. Physical and psychological stress was delivered to an intruder that was attacked by an aggressive resident. Meanwhile, an observer experienced psychological stress by seeing aggressor attacks. The nucleus accumbens tissues from intruder and observer mice that appear fear memory and anxiety as well as control mice were harvested for analyses of mRNA and miRNA profiles by high throughput sequencing. In the nucleus accumbens of intruders and observers with fear memory and anxiety, genes encoding AdrRα, AChRM2/3, GluRM2/8, HrR1, SSR, BDNF and AC are upregulated, while genes encoding DR3/5, PR2, GPγ8 and P450 are downregulated. Physical and/or psychological stress leads to fear memory and anxiety likely by molecules relevant to certain synapses. Moreover, there are differential expressions in genes that encode GABARA, 5-HTR1/5, CREB3, AChRM2, RyR, Wnt and GPγ13 in the nucleus accumbens from intruders versus observers. GABAergic, serotonergic and cholinergic synapses as well as calcium, Wnt and CREB signaling molecules may be involved in fear memory differently induced by psychological stress and physical/psychological stress. The data from analyzing mRNA and miRNA profiles are consistent. Some molecules are validated by qRT-PCR and dual luciferase reporter assay. Fear memory and anxiety induced by the mixture of physical and psychological stress or psychological stress appear influenced by complicated molecular mechanisms in the nucleus accumbens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaixin Du
- Qingdao University, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao, Shandong, 266021, China
| | - Wei Lu
- Qingdao University, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao, Shandong, 266021, China.
| | - Yan Sun
- Qingdao University, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao, Shandong, 266021, China
| | - Jing Feng
- Qingdao University, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao, Shandong, 266021, China
| | - Jin-Hui Wang
- Qingdao University, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao, Shandong, 266021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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50
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The impact of sugar consumption on stress driven, emotional and addictive behaviors. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 103:178-199. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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